Exposed
by Sapphire Blue Frost
Summary: Aphrodite has been keeping a large secret for all of her life. How would she react when she's caught in a situation that exposes everything she tries to hide?
1. Chapter 1: Incident

It was supposed to just a one night stand. They were both drunk out of their minds. Even Shaka and Mu had enough ouzo to be knocked out. It was an absolute miracle that they had even been conscious enough to do the deed. And the result was an absolute disaster.

* * *

Deathmask had suddenly came up to Aphrodite with the rest of the Gold Saints asking her to join in with a drink. She couldn't refuse, seeing that everyone else had joined in. And they had drank. Too much. Shaka, Shura and Mu were responsible and light drinkers but even they had drank several bottles of wine.

When everyone was drunk to the point of passing out, Deathmask had helped tired to help Aphrodite to her temple but in their daze, managed to walk all the way to the Cancer Temple. Deathmask had thought that they had finally arrived at Aphrodite's temple and put her to bed. However, his clumsy kiss missed her forehead completely and landed on her lips. One thing lead to another and they ended up sleeping together.

When morning came, Aphrodite woke first. Mortified by the fact that someone had seen her secret, she dressed and ran off quickly, leaving no sign of her behind besides the blood on the sheets from her first time.

Two weeks after the incident, Deathmask was still puzzled about the identity of the lady he had slept with. All he remembers was blue hair and eyes. Fortunately for Aphrodite, no one remembers that Deathmask was the one who took Aphrodite home and that Aphrodite might have a clue.

Unfortunately for them, they also never considered that the said woman might have been Aphrodite. After all, he was beautiful enough to appear like a lady in the drunken haze of Deathmask's mind. And the bleeding might have came from a tearing muscle. But no one questioned Aphrodite's part in this event and the identity of the lady remained secret without a clue as even the guards had not seen a hair of the said lady who visited the Sanctuary that night.


	2. Chapter 2: Consequences

There was something wrong with her, Aphrodite decided. Something incredibly wrong. After the initial hangover of getting drunk, there wasn't supposed to be anymore sickness and yet here she was, leaning over the sink and puking her guts out. And her time of the month was late when it never was. Another two days and it'll completely miss this month, something Aphrodite really didn't want to happen.

The other Gold Saints are noticing that there was something wrong with her and that could prove to be a problem, especially if they decide to investigate. There was the scene from one morning where Deathmask had came up with an early morning visit and had caught her when she was in the bathroom, heaving out whatever dinner she ate the night before. Thankfully, she was able to play it off as some bad food though it was incredibly humiliating to be caught doing something as disgusting as that and by her boyfriend no less. And then when he left, she had to rush back to the bathroom to finish.

Then there were the other Saints. Andromeda Shun had noticed her slightly softer voice and paler skin, though didn't comment too much on it. The ever-so-arrogant Pegasus Saint had challenged her to a training session in the arena which she immediately refused and that had caught the eye of the others.

Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe someone already knew her secret, though it was highly unlikely seeing as how no one talked to her about it, but a female Saint (legally) had gotten the same symptoms and announced that she was with child. Though relationships were still frowned upon, Athena had allowed them to enjoy the rest of their lives since the Holy War was over. The only reason they had still kept their powers as Gold Saints was because she hadn't want to take away the powers of her Bronze Saints.

But dread filled Aphrodite's heart at what this situation meant for her. Everything she worked so hard to hide would be exposed. She's probably going to be exiled or killed for treason. She'll lose her title as a Gold Saint and most important of all, she'll be risking her unborn child. Nothing was going to be simple anymore. She would have to leave. And if they find her, she'll be killed for deserting.


	3. Chapter 3: Gone

"What do you mean he's gone?!"

"H-he's not anywhere and nobody saw him for a few days now, your highness." Shion sighed and stopped his cosmos from overwhelming the poor messenger. It was not his fault that one of his Saints was missing. In his moment of shock, he had accidentally burned his cosmos to show dominance over the weaker person.

"Did you search his temple?"

"Yes your highness."

"And did you find anything?"

"A letter was on the table in a bouquet of roses on his writing desk."

"Let me see it and summon the Gold Saints. You're dismissed." The messenger bowed his head and backed out of the Pope's Chamber.

Shion signed. Just a few days ago, everything had been fine. Shaka was mediating, Milo was bothering Camus, Mu was fixing someone's cloth, and Aphrodite was still watering his roses. And now, he's missing one of his Gold Saints, who had left a letter, claiming resignation as a Saint for family matters and left behind his cloth. The problem with this whole situation is that there is no one left to train the next Pisces Gold Saint and Aphrodite dropped out of his duty to protect Athena quite suddenly. The Pisces Temple has no one left to guard it and the Demon Rose Garden that had been the Sanctuary's final line of defense against enemies will wither away without someone to take care of them. So deep in thought, Shion failed to heard the footsteps of his remaining 11 Gold Saints entering the room.

"Your highness?"

"Sit. This meeting is going to take a while."

"Yes your highness." And the meeting began.

* * *

It was one of the worst meeting of all time. And Shion has been alive for more than 200 years so that's saying a lot. With the news of Aphrodite's resignation, there were several loud exclamations from Deathmask and Shura. Even Shaka and Camus was worried. The only reason the others could tell was because Aiolia was probably holding his lover's hand underneath the table. Milo and Camus were doing the same thing as well and Camus was slightly more expressive in his facial expressions regarding his surprise and worry.

With all the screaming and shouting, there was nothing to be done. He smiled gratefully at Dohko when he took his hand to give him some support. It's not like Shion could just blame them afterall. Though Aphrodite was quite loyal and has proven it over and over again he was also very self-conceited and may have left out of his own desire to live and not give his life for Athena as a Saint again. That was the one possibility that Shion did not want to consider. Aphrodite had given his life three times doing his job as a Saint even if one of them was a betrayal. It would be unfair to assume the worst. The best thing to do was wait until Aphrodite came back. If he ever did, that was. And without a legit reason, he'll have to be killed for treason when he was found.

Deathmask would never raise a hand against his best friend and he made that fact known quite loudly. Despite his outer appearance, he was, in fact, quite close to tears even if they had been masked by his anger at being dumped so suddenly by his lover. There was nothing anybody can do to calm him down. There was nothing to be done but wait.

But even if Aphrodite had returned, what was there to do? He had left without asking the Pope for leave and there are consequences. But what can he do to a Gold Saint that they actually need to pass on the traditions of a Pisces Saint, something only those of the line could do? Immunity to the roses have to taught carefully and the poisoned blood was something they still possessed, which supported Shion's idea of Aphrodite being Pisces Albafica's reincarnation since, without a master to form a Crimson Bond with, Aphrodite's blood shouldn't be poisonous in the least. It was a good thing an antidote was made so quickly. Otherwise, another child would have been condemned to a life of solitude and no physical contact, something both Shion and Dohko didn't want to do.

* * *

 **I have been writing, just not posting and doing a lot of editing. I apologize if I made you wait for a long time. I know the feeling of waiting forever for a chapter to come out.**


	4. Chapter 4: Why?

Deathmask was confused. Why had Aphrodite left? And why hadn't he told his boyfriend anything? They were dating and people in love should trust each other, shouldn't they? So what had he done wrong?!

He could still remember the wild party a few weeks ago. It was so wild that even Mu and Shaka, the last two people he had thought would touch alcohol had drank enough to go unconscious. He remembered drinking and dancing and laughing and taking Aphrodite back to the Pisces Temple, he supposed. He really couldn't remember what happened during the night but he remembered seeing the blurry form of a woman underneath him with the loveliest blue hair and eyes he had ever seen. That was just the alcohol affecting his brain because Aphrodite was the loveliest person on Earth. Nothing could match his lover's beauty. But when he had woken up in the morning, the lady was gone, he had a humongous headache, and his bed sheets was stained with blood for some reason.

When he had finally remembered about what had transpired, he had immediately ran off to buy gifts for Aphrodite and beg for his forgiveness. He hates begging but he hated the thought of losing Aphrodite and his trust even more.

Where he had expected anger, he had received a mere mild warning. He had thought that Aphrodite understood that he was under the effects of alcohol but his lover had started avoiding him after the party. Though the Pisces Saint had always valued his privacy, they had been childhood best friends and had always been in the company of each other along with Shura. It hurt to realize that Aphrodite had become more conservative with him after the incident.

"You know, we all actually thought that you'd be destroying more things than just sitting there and doing nothing, right?" Camus's cold, flat voice jolted him out of his stupor. Milo immediately started chastising his best friend, and potential lover, for being so blunt.

Deathmask growled. "Do tell me what I can do. There's not a clue to where he could have gone and-"

"Where are the places he could have gone? There aren't many places he could go without a Saint posted there, Silver or Bronze." Shaka cut in. Despite his cold outer appearance, he actually cares a lot.

"He would probably have gone hiding. Desertion is treason and punishable by death. You know that." Camus added when Deathmask growled at him.

He did know that desertion was punishable by death but very few could even think about challenging a Gold Saint. And if Aphrodite had left so quickly without a proper explanation, then no amount of death threats would bring him back. Deathmask hopes that whatever pulled Aphrodite away can be done quickly, so Aphrodite can return soon. He can also avoid getting into less trouble if he would write but Deathmask heavily doubts that that will happen. Any form of communication will require an address and that would give away Aphrodite's position. Though the Pisces Saint might seem like a diva, he was not a stupid one.


	5. Chapter 5: Pregnancy

Aphrodite made sure to leave nothing personal behind when she left. The other Saints won't be expecting it. She had made sure to act like everything was normal. It was quite tiring to use her cosmos and just running down the steps from the Pisces Temple to town was exhausting.

* * *

Being pregnant was harder than Aphrodite had thought. She had no one to take care of her and nowhere to go that the Saints won't think about searching. The round belly completely ruined her figure but people still claimed that she was beautiful. There were times where she was sure her legs would break under the sheer weight of the baby. Her body's sore in so many places and there wasn't a lot of people to help her through this difficult time. Not anyone she could trust anyway. She honestly can't imagine how single mothers go through this whole process and multiple times too.

Aphrodite finally settled down in Sweden, her birthplace. She had taken a job at a small flower store where her beauty attracted many people and her natural green thumb at gardening made the flowers flourished though the amount of men that came to the store just to stare at her was disgusting. While she was able to convince the town's people that she was a poor widow and not some woman carrying a bastard child, there was nothing she could do about the amount of guys asking her out.

The store owner was nice to her. She was another woman just a few years older than her with her own husband and two children. They treated her well and she was allowed a room in their flat for free just as long as she helped out with the housework.

Getting settled in her new life wasn't hard. There was the comfort and boredom of routine was something she welcomed after the chaotic life of a Saint. Especially being a Gold Saint before, during, and after the Holy War.

There were times when Aphrodite missed her friends back at the Sanctuary and she would actually write a letter or two just to get her feelings out but never sent them. They would require addresses and people would talk again. When the townspeople saw her at first, the woman were incredibly jealous of the opened mouth drooling of their men. But her beauty turned many rivals into admirers and the added glow of the pregnancy, despite losing her figure, did nothing to stop that. Her sad story about losing her husband so soon after the said marriage brought her large amounts of sympathy where people would just buy the flowers to help. It didn't hurt that her bouquets were beautifully designed and she has a natural talent for styling.

* * *

It wasn't any day special. It was a normal cold Swedish night. The temperature was lower than usual and there was a major thunderstorm on the way but Aphrodite woke up the household when the moon was still high with her screaming. The labor pains had taken her by surprise and her cosmos burned, thinking that it was an attack of some sort. She wasn't able to get it under control until a few minutes later and even then, the only reason she had was because it was destroying an awful lot of things.

When their sleepy brains finally caught on with the situation, the husband was quickly sent to fetch a midwife while the children were sent to gather hot water and towels. Lamps were lit and the lady set to work on her, trying to help her hold on until the midwife arrived which was not until half an hour later and the storm was arriving.

Several hours of screaming and cursing later (she had been in a right enough mind to not say anything about the father), Aphrodite held a baby boy in her arms whom she named Angel. Though Angel was the best she could hope for, she certainly doesn't want to go through the birthing process again. Instead, she'll gladly go through Hell and face all three of the Underworld Judges just to avoid getting pregnant. It made her hurt in places she had never hurt before and made her feel older than she ever had been. And more exhausted than she had ever been. Which is saying plenty since she had died three times already.


	6. Chapter 6: Dead

Angel was scared. There was no one to protect him anymore. All of the villagers were dead, including the nice family he had lived with after his mother left. No one knows where she had gone. Though she does visit every once in awhile, Angel has never seen her.

The only reason he even knows that she visits was because, through an act of pity, the mother of the family he was living with had him write a letter to his mother. When they arrive back at the house after a day of work at the flower shop, the letter on the table was gone. Instead, there was an envelope of money and a short note about what the money was for, signed from Angel's mother along with a single red rose petal. Over the years, there had been more money and letters to Angel left on the kitchen table, always with a single rose petal. Angel saved them all, pressed in a photo album.

The day started out so perfectly that nobody suspected something horrible would happen. The weather was as nice as it could be in Sweden. Business at the flower shop was going well and the flowers were prettier than ever. So it came as a complete surprise when a cloud of dust appeared on the horizon and from the dust came people with weapons on horses.

The bandits had come so suddenly that there wasn't any time to prepare. He was already very lucky that the flower shop and the house he lived in was by the far end of the village so he had time to run and hide when told to by the lady he lives with. The other children that lived in the village wasn't as lucky seeing as they were in school at that time and no one had a chance to sound the alarm. He had heard screams as he looked for a place to hide.

Unfortunately, they had set fire to all of the houses. He had to hide in the forest behind the garden. The mother of that family had also left him a white cloak with blue lining on the inside to use, said to be a gift from his long-gone mother. Angel would always keep the cloak on him, clean and carefully folded up into small but thick rectangle, just so it feels like he's hugging one of his mother's limbs. Despite the cleaning, the cloak still smells like roses.

A few hours after the massacre, when Angel couldn't hear a sound from the outside, he stepped out of the room and garden to find an extremely dark scene. The scorched bones of the villagers all around the town and dark spots of blood on the ground set the stage for a horror movie. Those that weren't completely burnt were already rotting and covered with bugs.

Wearing his mother's cloak made him feel no braver. The family he had lived with all really didn't like talking about his mother but bits and pieces would slip out once every so often. Though the years, he learned that his mother was a very strong and beautiful woman who had a responsibility to something so she had leave him behind.

A sparkle caught his eye and he lifted his head to find glowing wisps floating around him. Their tails danced through the air behind them but when he reached out to touch one, he saw the way a villager had died and quickly retracted his hand and was glad that the glowing wisp did not force him to watch more.

In his mother's cloak, he hid away in the rose garden with what he could find and the glowing wisps floating around him.

* * *

Help did arrive a few days after he emerged. By that time, the little wisps weren't showing him bad things anymore but still gathered around him. In his longing for his mother, he began to recall all of the stories from travelers who visited the town. Some were strange, about knights in golden armor who protected their world and a goddess. They described the Saints in detail, talking about what each of them could do and what they did.

It was through there stories that he finally realized that the glowing wisps were souls of the villagers who had died. Too intelligent for his age, he thought back to what the travelers had said about the Cancer Gold Saint and managed to touch one of the souls without bringing up the bad memories.

Angel was jolted out of his mind when he heard the crunch of the burned leaves underfoot and the clank of metal. Unsure about what to do and who it was, he grabbed a small penknife. Though he didn't know how to fight, he could do some damage with a knife. ept outside quietly, hiding in the shadows though the white cloak shone brightly. Pocketing the small photo album he had, he crept outside quietly, hiding in the shadows though the white cloak shone brightly.

"Hey!" A shadow fell over him and when he looked up, he saw a rough-looking man with silver hair. In his surprise, he lunged with the knife but was caught and held back by the back of his shirt.

He lifted his head to stare into the eyes of the man, feeling a need to dominate. Cancer Deathmask merely widened his eyes in surprise and grinned ferally, responding quickly to the sudden assault of cosmos. His more experienced cosmos easily subdued the child, who, despite the cold air, broke out in sweat but not breaking eye contact or relenting. Tossing the boy over a shoulder, he began to walk away from the rubble and back towards the Sanctuary.

"Where are you taking me?!" Angel shouted, kicking and hitting. "Put me down!"

Without sympathy, he said, "We're going back to the Sanctuary. You would make an alright Saint I suppose."

"But I don't want to be a Saint!"

Deathmask stopped. "Do you want to waste your life away here, talking to the dead? Do you not think about revenge for those that were killed?"

Angel paused in his struggles. Thinking it through, he decided that it wouldn't hurt. And when he became a Saint, maybe he could search for his parents. He has some idea of what his parents look like. Besides, he could help people and stop them from getting hurt like what happened to the village today. It's strange, he suppose, but he hasn't cried over the lost of the temporary family had had lived with.


	7. Chapter 7: Introductions

"Let me pass Mu." Deathmask was uncharacteristically polite as he avoided knocking into the Aries Saint and walked around him.

"Are you coming back from your mission just now?"

"Yep." Then over his shoulder, he said, "Hurry up brat," and Mu turned to see a young boy struggling to catch up.

"I didn't know you had a son, Deathmask. What's his name?" He hadn't expect the Cancer to laugh.

"He's not mine. And what's your name brat?"

The boy shot him a look of annoyance. "Don't call me brat. My name's Angel."

It was a strange thought, Mu supposed, but he could clearly see the resemblance between Deathmask and Angel. They both have an incredibly arrogant attitude and the silvery ends of Angel's hair might have come from Deathmask if they were blood-related. But Angel's face was more feminine and hair was a pale shade of blue, fading into silver at the ends. Though he is obviously a boy, he could possibly pass for a girl. These little characteristics reminded him of the Pisces Saint.

He stepped aside to let them pass. "Aldebaran, Aiolia, and Aiolos isn't at their temples. Milo might be over at the Aquarius Temple with Camus. Shaka is mediating and Aphrodite might be in his garden at this time. I have no idea where Saga and Kanon are and you better start carrying the child before he falls over from exhaustion."

Deathmask looked over his shoulder at the already panting little boy before picking him up and running up the stairs at the speed of light towards Pisces. Several of his comrades' cosmos erupted out of surprise and shock but he completely disregarded them. Until he crashed into a ice wall at the entrance of the 11th temple.

When he snarled, a cool voice greeted him. "Where are you going, Cancer Deathmask?"

"Hey Camus! I'm going to report to the Pope so please move your wall out of the way." Being nice was so much harder though sometimes it could be so much more satisfying. This was not one of those times.

A loud rowdy voice popped up from behind Camus. "And what about the kid?"

"A potential candidate for a Saint."

"For the Cancer Cloth?" They turned to see the most beautiful of the 88 Saints walking down the stairs, hair waving in the wind.

Angel was in awe. He had never seen such a beautiful person. He wasn't sure if the person was a man or a woman and wasn't stupid enough to offend someone by addressing them by the wrong gender. He had heard that female Saints wear a mask and that person doesn't have a mask. However, that person was also wearing a Gold Cloth and those are supposed to be the highest ranked of them all so maybe they don't have to wear a mask.

"I want to test him first to see if he's good enough. If he survives the first part of training, then I will train him." Deathmask smiled. "Changing the subject: did you miss me?"

Aphrodite blushed. "No. You were only gone a few days." Even she wouldn't believe her own words. "The Pope is waiting for your report."

* * *

Aphrodite was in shock. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her son would be at the Sanctuary. It was thanks to years of training that she had managed to hide her shock when she first saw Angel. Guilt overcame her then. She wasn't a proper mother. She had thought that staying away might draw less attention to Angel and less attention to herself. Granted, she had been punished but at least she still had her title. A few weeks of confinement was nothing compared to the empty feeling in her heart when she thought about her baby, being taken cared of by a proper woman. She had tried to visit but was only able to go once a month, occasionally more but duty calls. But if she leaves too much, then the others will get suspicious. She never did tell them about Angel.


End file.
